Falkland 1914

[arminpfano]

This scenario works well for the player as the German side, but not vice versa - I just can´t get the AI to do anything sensible as von Spee.

I made this to get an idea if von Spee (the player) could have done a successful YOLO attack to sink the two British battlecruiser in harbour before they are able to make steam. Try it: It is fun, similar to the well known Japanese surprise attacks

[pz501]

What a coincidence! Just yesterday and earlier today I was working on exactly the same (Falklands) scenario, and ran into the same problems you describe with the German side AI, to the extent that I finally gave up.

I've noticed since the DLC's release that the AI is very limited in what it can or will do, no matter how many tricks are tried, or how many waypoints and variables are assigned. Sort of disheartening really. Imagine trying to do a Jutland
scenario with these limits?

I'm not saying the DLC is a waste of money, and I do enjoy playing around with the ship designer (If there only were a way to import user created historical designs into the the base game itself) But I do wish there was more.

It's not as if just this title's AI is poor: there is a competitor series of naval games along the same scale that are just as AI limited, and the older NWS "Steam and Iron" which was a forerunner to Rule the Waves is just as bad. In fact, with only a few changes the scenario editor from S&I is almost exactly the same as the current one so far as I can tell.

[arminpfano]

Thanks for sharing, pz501 - this relieves me from the nagging feeling that I am not skilled and/or not smart enough to get this work...

At the moment the only way to create balanced settings seems to be: Give the AI 3:1 more ships and play only one side. Otherwise it is too easy to outmaneuvre the enemy. I win the Doggerbank scenario every single time I play the German side, which is just not reasonable.

The silver light at the horizon may be the point were real AI like ChatGPT or Claude can be used as opponent for games like this. They should do a way better job - and some hallucination now and then just makes them more humanlike...

[gap72]

I do enjoy playing around with the ship designer (If there only were a way to import user created historical designs into the the base game itself)

What do you mean? If the designs created with the new ship designer comply with base-game ship rules, the player can load them in campaign and use them as his own design studies. One can even save them as templates, and mod them into the game so that even AI nations will use them in campaign in place of or in addition to stock templates.

[pz501]

I do enjoy playing around with the ship designer (If there only were a way to import user created historical designs into the the base game itself)

What do you mean? If the designs created with the new ship designer comply with base-game ship rules, the player can load them in campaign and use them as his own design studies. One can even save them as templates, and mod them into the game so that even AI nations will use them in campaign in place of or in addition to stock templates.

You're absolutely right about that. My problem is that I've spent a lot of time creating a whole slew of historic WW 1 and WW 2 ships for use with the scenario editor. At last count it's 66 WW 1 types, and 95 WW 2 ones (that's 161 total, including some exotic ones for the 1970's -1980's like Essex SCB CV's and Gearing FRAM DD's, etc).

I had a lot of fun doing all this, but it is a bit of a downer realizing the AI just cannot be made to do what you want it to in most situations. As you point out, all of these designs could in theory be converted for campaign use, but they would have to be edited to meet the campaign requirements for stats, then renamed for AI usage. I have no intention of doing all that. I just don't have the patience for it really. That's what I mean.

It's also possible to insert your own designs into generator-created scenarios with a whole lot of laborious replacement, ship by ship and class by class.

To be perfectly honest there is nothing about this new editor (except for better graphics), that couldn't be done with the editor in the ancient Steam and Iron game really.

So, as I've said the DLC is not a total waste, but somewhat disappointing. Maybe more talented and insightful people can do wonders with the scenario editor and AI. I hope so, but I'm giving it a rest for now.

[f11supertiger]

I do enjoy playing around with the ship designer (If there only were a way to import user created historical designs into the the base game itself)

What do you mean? If the designs created with the new ship designer comply with base-game ship rules, the player can load them in campaign and use them as his own design studies. One can even save them as templates, and mod them into the game so that even AI nations will use them in campaign in place of or in addition to stock templates.

You're absolutely right about that. My problem is that I've spent a lot of time creating a whole slew of historic WW 1 and WW 2 ships for use with the scenario editor. At last count it's 66 WW 1 types, and 95 WW 2 ones (that's 161 total, including some exotic ones for the 1970's -1980's like Essex SCB CV's and Gearing FRAM DD's, etc).

Would you consider posting these designs, so other people could use them in scenarios?

[pz501]

What do you mean? If the designs created with the new ship designer comply with base-game ship rules, the player can load them in campaign and use them as his own design studies. One can even save them as templates, and mod them into the game so that even AI nations will use them in campaign in place of or in addition to stock templates.

You're absolutely right about that. My problem is that I've spent a lot of time creating a whole slew of historic WW 1 and WW 2 ships for use with the scenario editor. At last count it's 66 WW 1 types, and 95 WW 2 ones (that's 161 total, including some exotic ones for the 1970's -1980's like Essex SCB CV's and Gearing FRAM DD's, etc).

Would you consider posting these designs, so other people could use them in scenarios?

I've no problem with that, so I'll post them up. They may not be perfect or meet some people's standards, but they might be able to form a basis for some scenarios others might want to do.

I make no legalistic claims regarding these, and anyone is free to use or modify as they see fit. I also don't need any mention or credits. This is a hobby and game after all.

[AndyHall]

Playing as the Germans now under variable deployment setup for both sides. It took an hour+ for the British to get underway, and von Spee got in some some good licks to start. And now he's leading the straggling Royal Navy on a a chase eastward.

We'll see how this ends.

[AndyHall]

I played this scenario as von Spee, using variable initial setup on both sides. Von Spee got in some licks early on, but when the British force got underway after an hour+, it became a long, long chase throughout the day -- first to the east, then, north, then northwest, all day until nightfall. Limited damage to the East Asia Squadron, but HMS INVINCIBLE was sunk when an 8-inch shell from SCHARNHORST penetrated the top of Y Turret and caused a flash fire that set off that turret's magazine at 0812. INFLEXIBLE also received heavy damage. Von Spee's intact force was finally able to slip away after the two forces lost contact in the darkness on December 8.

[arminpfano]

Congratulations, AndyHall!

In all of my trials von Spee was lost, as soon as the BCs got under way. I always try to torpedo them by the CLs (which they normally don´t survive).

[AndyHall]

SCHARNHORST and GNEISENAU (red track) made two short passes across the entrance to Port William Sound, and then the British got underway and von Spee headed due east to start. It was a fun scenario, but long and (apart from INVINCIBLE experiencing a rapid unscheduled disassembly at 0812 local time) somewhat uneventful. Have to play a few more times, tho.